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File photo of Indian cricket team.© BCCI
The India vs England five-match Test series is perfectly poised at 1-1 after the end of the first two games. Favourites India were stunned by the Three Lions in the opening game. The Ben Stokes-led side had registered a 28-run victory in Hyderabad. What followed was a superb comeback from hosts India as the side beat England by 106 runs in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Ahead of the third game of the series that kicks off on 15 February in Rajkot, former England captain Alastair Cook has backed the visitors by stating that they could beat India again.
“This India side, you can definitely beat this India side again there’s no doubt about that. This England side can do it. England have gotten close here without any hundreds and a lot of starts, without one person changing the game,” Alastair Cook told TNT Sports.
In the first game, it was a majestic 196 from Ollie Pope in England’s second innings that stole the game away from India. However, in the second match, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill shone with their individual performances to square the series.
Jaiswal hit 209 in India’s first innings and Gill made 104 to help the hosts set England a daunting victory target of 399 in the second Test. Between these two innings, it was a six-wicket haul (6 for 45) from Bumrah that ripped apart the England batting line-up.
“I think India will be more relieved than anything else, they would have been under the cosh after that first Test win from England. And when you are under the cosh, with the weight of expectation on this India side to go out and deliver a performance good enough to win will help,” said Cook.
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